HTC Sensation XL

Sound thinking?

The Beats Audio technology is integrated in the same way as the XE, with a pair of good quality metal-cased earphones at the end of their distinctive red cable. The noise-isolating grommets allow for a comfy fit when pressed into the ear.

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The overall sound is crisp, clear and full of detail. Unsurprisingly for the Beats brand, the output does lean heavily on the bass. I wouldn't say that it sounds muddy, but it does tend to favour low-end heavy dance music, giving the rhythm plenty of punch.

Orchestral and acoustic music, by contrast, lacks some of the wide-spanning definition you’ll get from other quality headphones. That said, they still do a better all-round job than any other headphones you’ll find supplied with a handset.

Meagre EQ options and e-reader

But while the sound’s certainly good, it’s a shame that HTC’s equaliser has been replaced with a simple on or off control for Beats – it would have been nice to have bit more control in the audio playback.